In my Joeverse, where the ninjas excell, is in silent intrusion tactics, and assasinations that appear as accidents. SE, SS, Jinx, and Kamakura being the exceptions in that they also have tactical combat training as well.
Quick Kick is w/o question, the most dangerous when it comes to UNarmed combat techniques, following in the footsteps of the Masters, creating new styles all the time by fusing elements of all he's learned (and fought against,) together.
But nobody, NOBODY, (amongst the Joes and Cobras,) is deadlier than Budo is with a sword.
NOBODY.

Wow. Not even Snake-Eyes? That's a bold claim, sir.

__________________
Why aren't there more Joes from the Deep South?
And would it kill Hasbro to give us a Marine Corps Officer?

A samurai should be deadlier with a sword than a ninja. Ninjas shouldn't be fighting toe-to-toe with a samurai. They should be doing just enough to escape or catching the samurai in an ambush.

Well, I hear what you're saying, but the comic goes to an awful lot of trouble to talk about Snake-Eyes' peerless prowess with a sword. I'll be the first to admit that I'm not an expert on "ninjas" and I know next to nothing about "samurai"... but I do know the Joe continuity. Nobody beats Snake-Eyes with a sword, especially not some "C-List" Joe like Budo.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Neuspeaq

^AGREED^, tactics Budo would look upon with utter disdain...

If that's the case, I don't think there would be any room for Budo on a Special Operations team. If he can't appreciate the stealth/ambush/commando techniques of Snake-Eyes, then I don't know what Budo would be doing on the Joe team. He'd be much happier in the conventional army.

__________________
Why aren't there more Joes from the Deep South?
And would it kill Hasbro to give us a Marine Corps Officer?

I don't see Budo as a stealth guy anyway. I would think he'd be a better Security/Personal protection/MP type. Although if they made a lightsaber to cut BATS in half I'd probably give him the first crack at it. I suppose a Ninja's Katana could cut through metal, but I don't believe it, plus it's usually multiple BATS. Eventually you break a Sword if not on the first blow.

I just got my Mission Brazil set today. Love it as it's the one I always dreamed of. There's a few imperfections but I'm satisfied. But like you said before Oliver, Dial-Tone is now a Green Beret.

From an historical/functional perspective, I think the role samurai played in medieval warfare can be translated into the Army's cavalry and mechanized infantry or the USMC's LAR battalion.

Samurai weren't "infantry," by and large, they fought on horseback. The samurai's original role was as a mounted archer and cavalry swordsman. Early samurai edged weaponry and tactics were designed to be used from horseback... in the 8th and 9th centuries, samurai were more likely to carry their swords (which were longer and more curved than the later katana, much more similar in design to the sabres used by Central Asian and Eurasian mounted swordsmen) on their belts "tachi" style (with the blade facing down), which is more practical when drawing a sword from horseback and the target is on a lower plane. When the trend in warfare started moving away from massed cavalry battles, samurai started wearing their swords "katana style" with the blade facing up, which allowed them to combine drawing the sword with a first strike against an enemy on a level plane.

That being said, I think most people view samurai in their later role as duelists and retainers/bodyguards, and not as their original purpose as cavalry swordsmen and mounted archers, so an MP/force protection type role for a modern version of Budo will probably resonate better with Joe fans than having him become a Bradley Cavalry Fighting Vehicle, TOW launcher carrying HMMWV, Stryker IFV, or LAV-25 crewman.

From an historical/functional perspective, I think the role samurai played in medieval warfare can be translated into the Army's cavalry and mechanized infantry or the USMC's LAR battalion.

Samurai weren't "infantry," by and large, they fought on horseback. The samurai's original role was as a mounted archer and cavalry swordsman. Early samurai edged weaponry and tactics were designed to be used from horseback... in the 8th and 9th centuries, samurai were more likely to carry their swords (which were longer and more curved than the later katana, much more similar in design to the sabres used by Central Asian and Eurasian mounted swordsmen) on their belts "tachi" style (with the blade facing down), which is more practical when drawing a sword from horseback and the target is on a lower plane. When the trend in warfare started moving away from massed cavalry battles, samurai started wearing their swords "katana style" with the blade facing up, which allowed them to combine drawing the sword with a first strike against an enemy on a level plane.

That being said, I think most people view samurai in their later role as duelists and retainers/bodyguards, and not as their original purpose as cavalry swordsmen and mounted archers, so an MP/force protection type role for a modern version of Budo will probably resonate better with Joe fans than having him become a Bradley Cavalry Fighting Vehicle, TOW launcher carrying HMMWV, Stryker IFV, or LAV-25 crewman.

I'm sure all that about Samurai is true, however, this is the filecard thread. And Budo's filecard says he is an Infantryman. Now, if Larry Hama really did go to all that effort to write his filecard and include all sorts of bits and pieces of personal knowledge, then it seems that he may have been intentional about his branch selection.

Budo isn't just a samurai. It's his family's heritage, but he's not from feudalistic Japan. He's a forth generation American kid who grew up in the Bay area. I'm sure he likes sushi, but I'm also willing to bet he can eat a bacon cheeseburger or a pizza with equal gusto. He likes rock music and Harley motorcycles... He's not 100% samurai. He's an American Infantryman with a fiercly useful hobby.

__________________
Why aren't there more Joes from the Deep South?
And would it kill Hasbro to give us a Marine Corps Officer?